Social Media in 2011: Expect a Big Dose of STFU

I'm reading a lot of posts about what social business will look like in 2011. Lots of big words are being thrown around. Lots of big, 10,000 foot ideas are being teased. And lots of me me me is what I'm reading.

What I'm not reading is stuff about tactical innovation. There's a lot of fluff out there and frankly, while the folks writing the fluff are smarter than me, I'm just not seeing the work getting done.

Social media isn't about writing books. It's not about heady 1,000 word posts. It's not about mayorships. It's not about conferences and trade shows.

It's about people connecting with people; people connecting with brands (including media); brands connecting with people; brands connecting with brands; people connecting with government; and, brands connecting with government.

See a commonality here?

It's about the people stupid.

The real work that gets done in 2011 will improve these connections. They will add value from these connections. And, best of all, they will make new connections.

Work that doesn't, gets a big dose of STFU. Period.